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X7997
'' |image= |caption=LC-11 X7997 on the groundhttp://impdb.org/index.php?title=A_Look_Forward#Taubman_LC-11_All_American |designation=Taubman LC-11 |version= |c/n=501 |firstflight=1928 |lastflight=1935 |featuredin=''A Look Forward'' |fate=Scrapped }} =History= Measuring 19 feet from nose to tail, with a 30 foot wingspan, the “Vest Pocket” sized X7997 featured a wooden frame with plywood covering for the keel shaped fuselage and cloth covering for the wings. Weighing a little over 600 lbs empty, the nimble LC-11 could take off in 100 feet of runway with a top speed of 110 miles per hour, and a range of 450-500 miles. “Fool Proof ‘Vest Pocket’ Plane at Roosevelt Field” – Article by Fred Lang – The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, NY, 12 Nov 1929, Pg 1“New ‘Ford of the Air’ can be flown by any motorist” – NEA article by Israel Klein – Printed in The Scranton Republican, Scranton, PA, 27 Dec 1928, Page 13 First flying in November 1928, the X7997 was to be the flagship of the short lived All-American Aircraft Company founded by Babcock and Carl K Wollam, a noted balloon and dirigible pilot with the Good Year Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. In an effort to take advantage of the “Air Flivver” market, the X7997, would put in several appearances at various air shows in the American Mid-West and New England. Department Reports of the State of Ohio – 1928-29 – Vol. 28 – Pg 153“Display Aero Live Savers” – Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich – 15-Apr-1928 – Pg 81, Col. 3“Officials give ‘Fool Proof’ Airplane Test” – Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ – 3 Nov 1929, Pg 31, Col. 4 She was demonstrated to Israel Klein, a writer with the National Education Association (NEA) in 1928. Mr. Klein then went up in the small plane with Captain Alan E.T. Bruce, the chief test pilot of the All-American Aircraft Company. Following the tragic death of Captain Bruce, on April 13, 1929, Babcock turned to fellow Akron aviator Ralph F. Thomas as his go to man for aerial demonstrations. Mr. Thomas demonstrated the X7997 at Lansing Airport in Chicago for officials of Cook County, Michigan, including Major Ralph Royce, in November of 1929. “Detroit Air Crashes Take Lives of Two” – The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Michigan, 15-Apr-1929 – Page 7 Later that month (Nov 1929) he flew the plane to Roosevelt Field, New York. Taking off from Cleveland, Ohio, he traveled nearly 500 miles with a storm nipping at his heels the whole way. As his own words recount; *“I came over the mail route all the way, beating ahead of a storm all the time and I flew plenty high over the Alleghenies…I never saw a more beautiful sunrise than I did coming over New York City to Roosevelt Field at that early hour. Flying at 6,000 feet, I passed over the Statue of Liberty and Coney Island and in the distance I could see Long Beach. Below me were broken clouds and above a perfect blue sky. “I said to Babcock, who flew over from Hadley with me, that if I had enough gas I’d say goodbye and meet him over in Paris.” Sadly, for the All-American Aircraft Company, the crash of X7997’s sister ship, X551E, in Dearborn, Michigan, 13-Apr-1929 and the crash of the stock market in Oct 29 of the same year spelled the end of the LC-11.Ohio Secretary of State website – Business Filing Portal – Records pertaining to; The All-American Aircraft Company. However, X-7997 was not destined to go out quietly and an inventor in Akron, Ohio would purchase the little ship as a test bed for his new invention, a steam powered aviation engine.http://babcockairplanes.blogspot.co.uk/p/lc-11-x7997.html On August 8, 1932, X-7997 was purchased by Harold C. Johnston of 54 Cedar St, Akron, Ohio. The owner of a small welding shop, Mr. Johnston had witnessed the fiery crash of an airplane during the early 1930s and set about to create a safer aircraft engine. His solution; steam power. Aircraft Registration Records for X-7997, Babcock Airplane Co. – National Air and Space Museum.“Steam-Power Plane Goal of Inventors” – Associated Press Article – Altoona Tribune – 18-Nov-1932 The Johnston G-1 Steam Engine and Boiler (Serial #1) was installed in X-7997 in May of 1933 and approved for testing by the Civilian Aeronautics Board on June 21, 1933. Unlike the large steam locomotives that come to mind when thinking of steam power, the G-1 was a lightweight power-plant, weighing in at 150 lbs (dry weight), and capable of producing, by conservative estimates, 62 horsepower giving a power to weight ratio of 2.42 lbs engine weight to 1 hp. Other estimates place the horse-power produced as high as 90hp.“Steam Takes Wings” – Popular Mechanics Magazine – Vol. 58, No. 6, Dec-1932 – Pg 1 & 2“A New Steam Engine for Aircraft” – article by Robert H. Martin – Popular Aviation Magazine – Vol. 9, No. 6, Dec-1932 – Pg 365“Plane with Steam Motor is Licensed” – The Piqua Daily Call – 22-June-1933 A binary steam engine, the G-1 utilized two cylinders. The first cylinder was powered by steam generated in the boiler. As the steam was exhausted from the first cylinder it was used to heat a second liquid, either ether or butane, which had a lower boiling point. The steam from the second liquid would then activate the second cylinder. The entire system was closed in, meaning the steam from both cylinders was recycled into condensers were it returned to liquid state before being fed back into the boiler. This allowed the G-1 to carry a small amount of liquid (8 Quarts) which could be used indefinitely.“Inventor Develops Steam Plane Engine” – The Sandusky Register – 15-Oct-1932 Heat was generated by burning Furnace Oil. The advantage of the oil, was that in liquid state it was difficult to burn, holding a blow torch flame on the oil would produce only a smoldering affect. A sprayer was needed to atomize the oil so it could be burned for heat. This made the engine virtually fireproof, eliminating the chance of an aircraft fire. Another advantage was the sound levels as the engine was silent, the only noise coming from the propeller as it moved through the air.“Work on Two Steam Engines for Planes” – The Piqua Daily Call – 12-Dec-1932, Pg 11 With only eleven moving parts and no transmission needed, the engine was low maintenance and during ground tests, the engine was run for over a 1,000 hours without break down. The furnace oil, being cheaper than aviation gasoline was an added bonus in Depression Era America. The G-1 could be operated at a cost of $1.68 an hour (1932 price).Plane Goal of Inventors” – Associated Press Article – Altoona Tribune – 18-Nov-1932 Chosen to fly the steam powered “flivver”, was Eric F Beckley, a World War 1 veteran with the Army Air Service. A student of Early Bird aviator Thomas Benoist in Sandusky, Ohio, Mr. Beckley was put to work building Benoist’s seaplanes at the age of 16 years old. Following his return from the war he worked at a variety of aviation schools as an instructor before beginning work with Mr. Johnston.Article on Eric F. Beckley – The Salem News – 5-Jan-1929 No record of the steam powered X-7997 flying has yet been found and her experimental license ended on January 1, 1934. In June, 1935, the little monoplane was converted back to a Le Blond 5D engine and sold to William P. McLaughlin on June 21, 1935. She was later sold Roy P. Williams, currently living in Warren, Ohio, on July 16, 1935. She remained in service until late in 1935 when her fuselage cracked on roll out (prior to take off). X-7997 was scrapped, her engine salvaged for use in another airplane. She was the longest surviving of the LC-11’s, remaining in service for almost seven years. http://babcockairplanes.blogspot.co.uk/p/lc.html =Sources= [[Category:Taubman LC-11]